Urban Heat Island Effect
How to Scale Up Heat Mitigation
As heat waves intensify, cities are seeking out heat mitigation techniques that can be applied widely and benefit entire neighborhoods.
Planting More Trees to Protect and Save Lives
A new study estimates that more than a third of premature deaths from excessive heat can be prevented by planting more trees in cities.
How Pollinators Fight Warming Cities
Researchers are starting to understand how urban bee populations can support healthy green spaces and reduce the urban heat island effect.
Investing in Green Schoolyards
California's budget now includes an unprecedented investment of $150 million to create green schoolyards and schoolyard forests at K-12 schools across the state.
Cool Planning for a Hotter Future
Global warming increases the importance of designing buildings and communities that are comfortable, efficient, and safe in hot conditions.
What Is the Urban Heat Island Effect?
Man-made surfaces and urban density contribute to higher temperatures, intensifying heat waves and posing a growing danger to public health.
How Rotterdam’s Green Rooftops Fight Urban Heat
An elevated park in Rotterdam shows how green roofs can cool cities and create public parks in tight quarters.
Parks as a Weapon Against Climate Change
The 2022 ParkScore finds that cities are increasingly employing green space as a tool for mitigating heat and extreme weather effects, but the distribution of parks remains inequitable.
Extreme Heat as a Public Health Crisis
Cities can take action to improve conditions during extreme heat events and prevent heat-related deaths, many of which occur in low-income communities.
Student-Designed Cool Sidewalk Could Reduce 'Urban Heat Island' Effect
Researchers at the University of New Mexico created a sidewalk design using materials that would reduce heat absorption and require fewer materials than traditional concrete sidewalks.
As Heat Waves Become More Common, Bus Shelters Are Needed to Keep Transit Riders Onboard
As climate change brings prolonged, intense heat waves to cities once associated with rain and cold weather will have to attend to the lack of shelter provided to bus and transit riders.
Report: Skyscrapers a Driving Factor of the Urban Heat Island Effect
As cities build upwards in an effort to create more housing and increase walkability, research shows that tall buildings intensify heat and contribute to increased carbon emissions.
The Problem with Tree Planting Programs
Ambitious campaigns to plant trees in urban areas often don't take into account the complexities of growing and maintaining effective urban forests.
How Extreme Heat Threatens the Electrical Grid
Higher demand for electricity and lower capacity for production due to more intense heat waves are straining the power grid and causing concern for future energy production.
Tree Equity Score: The U.S. Needs 522 Million More Urban Trees
As climate change intensifies the urban heat island effect, poorer neighborhoods bear the brunt of tree canopy inequity.
Redlined Neighborhoods Suffer More From Extreme Heat
The recent heat wave in the Pacific Northwest highlighted how historical inequities still affect the health and well-being of low-income and marginalized communities.
New Study Ranks the Urban Heat Island Effect in U.S. Cities
A new analysis by Climate Central evaluates the intensity of urban heat islands in cities around the United States—New Orleans tops the list.
Research Shows Urban Trees Stave off Depression
A new study shows that regular exposure to trees and green spaces has a powerful impact on depression and mental health.
Where Los Angeles Most Needs Trees
Google has unveiled a new tool called Tree Canopy Lab in an effort to keep cities like Los Angeles cool by helping them to know where to plant more trees.
Boston Launches a 20-Year Urban Forestry Plan
The forthcoming Boston Urban Forestry Plan is expected to support communities that have been disproportionately exposed to environmental stressors.
Placer County
City of Morganton
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Dongguan Binhaiwan Bay Area Management Committee
City of Waukesha, WI
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Indiana Borough
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
